Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Older Weedeater / Poulan trimmer purchased at Sears, so the Craftsman # is 358.798420.

Last year I replaced the fuel lines & in-tank filter.  This year the primer bulb pretty much gave up and wouldn't pop back out, so I replaced it.  It pops out OK now, but all it seems to do is move bubbles back & forth.  It never fills with fuel, and consequently it takes quite a few pulls to get this thing started & running.  Once it's going, it's fine.

I really don't quite understand what happens with the primer bulb when things are working the way they should, so I'm not sure what ails it this time.  I'm guessing there's a check valve somewhere, but I thought I'd ask here.

This thing is hardly a premium trimmer, but it sure has held up like one.  I had to put one ignition module in it, and I'm sure it's at least 9 years old.  It gets a serious workout every time I mow, as I have a bunch of chain link to maintain, and this old dog just keeps on working.  I hope to keep it alive another few years.

Thanks in advance.

Hi, you might be having the same problem that I had with my Craftsman trimmer just this morning, although it is a different model.  My fuel lines had perished, along with the primer bulb and when I removed them, I did not pay too much attention as to what went where.  By the way, Sears were no help as the primer bulb was "no longer available", but I found an identical one at  Lowes.   Mine's has two fuel lines attached to the bulb and I'm assuming your's does too.

After connecting it all up the way I thought it should be, I got the bubbles in the line but no gas to the carb.  Then it dawned on me that the lines were reversed.  The feed line from the tank (the one with the submerged filter) goes straight to the intake of the carb.  The line from the carb outlet goes to the longer of the two outlets on the bulb holder and the one on the shorter outlet goes back to the tank.  So what happens is that when you operate the bulb, fuel is sucked up from the tank, in through the carb and bulb, then back to the tank so that you have a complete circuit.  I had been trying to pump fuel through the carb from the bulb, instead of sucking it the other way.

I hope this helps your situation, but if not, the only other possibility I can think of is that you have some sort of air leak which is causing a loss of pressure.

Best of luck,

Alistair

Hmmm.   Now that I think it over, I can't recall exactly when the primer bulb quit working.

The only possible misrouting would be that the two connections at the carb are switched.  The unit uses two different sizes of tubing, and there's one of each size coming from the tank, and one of each going to the bulb.  That means that both tubes to the carb are the same size.  Perhaps I got  them backwards last year!  Then again, maybe there's a bum check valve that neither of us is aware of.

We'll see.  Thanks for the suggestion.